All Again For You
by sarahserenity6296
Summary: AH/AU Elena left that summer behind her a long time ago. Imagine her surprise when she comes face to face with the boy who broke her heart while meeting her boyfriend's family. Can they pretend nothing ever happened or do old feelings die hard? DELENA!
1. Chapter 1

**Ah yes, I'm back with another story. Delena, nonetheless. A new story is the last thing I need right now, but what can I say? Delena shoots my will power all to hell.**

**Full summary: **Elena Gilbert thought she left that summer behind her a long time ago- the one where Damon stole her heart, and then broke it. Five years later, she's moved on. Stefan- her boyfriend of a year- decides to take her to his home town of Mystic Falls, Virginia to meet his family. But when she arrives, she gets the surprise of her life: Not only does she come face to face with Damon, but she learns that he is Stefan's older brother. Can the two pretend nothing ever happened between them, or do old feelings die hard? AU/AH

* * *

><p><strong>I couldn't sleep last night…<strong>

_Her heart was pumping wildly in her chest, making her feel dizzy and lightheaded. Everything seemed far away, like she was standing in a tunnel, looking down at the scene before her. Beautiful, pale blue water- __turned nearly white with the sun in her eyes- __stretched endlessly out in front of her. It was impossible to tell where the ocean ended and the equally blue sky began._

"_One…"_

_She sucked in a breath, desperately trying to steady her heartbeat. She squeezed the smooth, familiar hand in hers. The hand squeezed back and despite the fear pumping through her veins like blood, she smiled. His hand was cool and dry, while hers was hot and sweaty. A breeze rustled her hair and cooled her back. She impatiently pushed the hair in her face away._

"…_two…"_

_As the second ticked on, she held her breath. It felt as if time paused around her. They were the only real things in the entire world. _

"…_three!"_

_And she jumped._

_She left her stomach at the top and her heart lodged itself in her throat. Her hair whipped wildly behind her, twisting and flowing like a live thing, tangling and knotting itself. The rush of adrenaline was like nothing she had ever experienced. She'd never felt so alive._

_It was terrifying and exhilarating and thrilling. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or scream or both. The wind was so loud as they fell, she wasn't sure which she did. _

_The cerulean water grew closer and closer until it was just a heartbeat below them. She didn't have enough time to close her eyes before her feet were submerged in the warm water. It rose up her calves, past her knees, up her thighs, wrapping around her hips, snaking up her midsection until finally, she was completely under. The sheer force of the drop was enough to plunge her a few feet under the surface. She ignored the sting of saltwater in her eyes and forced them to stay open. _

_For just a second, she saw him perfectly. His eyes were closed and he was smiling. His whole face lit up when he smiled like that. She'd learn that he so rarely smiled, she had to savor it when the opportunity presented itself. His startling black hair was a stark contrast against the pale blue water. His long lashes were the same color as his hair, and she knew if he opened his eyes, the blue of his eyes would put the water to shame. _

_Her lungs began to burn with the need to breathe. She tugged on his hand and together, they swam their way up. They broke the surface gasping for air and laughing._

"_Oh- my god," she gasped, her body shaking with giggles._

_He shook his hair, sending water droplets flying and pushed the remaining strands away from his face with his free hand. His smile was wide and his eyes hopeful._

"_That was…" she trailed off, searching for the right words. How did you put something so exhilarating into simple words? It felt impossible._

_Luckily, he understood just what she meant. "I told you," he exclaimed. "Did I not tell you?"_

_She smiled at him, because it was impossible not to when he was looking at her like that. He shined so brightly, everything else was dull in comparison. How could she not smile when a boy with the face of an angel was smiling at her? It seemed impossible that someone could shine so brightly; surely he would burst any second. _

"_You were absolutely right," she admitted._

_He put on a mock serious face. "I'm always right."_

_She splashed him with water, but couldn't bring herself to stop smiling. "Shut up."_

_He grinned and pushed back a lock of her long, dark brown hair away from her face. His touch sent electrical jolts through her and she was lost looking into those blue, blue eyes of his. _

_Seconds or minutes or hours could have passed before he tugged on her hand and said, "Come on. I don't want you to drown or get eaten by sharks or something."_

_His voice broke her compulsion and she stuck her tongue out at him. Though she knew he was kidding about the sharks, she swam a little faster. The long, even strokes of her arms pushing the water helped clear her foggy head. The heat in her body ignited by his gaze had almost completely disappeared by the time she felt sand beneath her feet. _

_They collapsed onto the hot white sand, panting and laughing. Somehow on the way down, they entangled themselves in each other: legs snaked around each others', arms intertwined and faces an inch apart. Again, she found herself getting lost in the depths of his eyes. They were staring into hers so intensely, she thought he could read her mind._

"_I love you," he said breathlessly. _

_Her breath caught in her throat and her heart skipped a beat. He'd said it. He loved her. He really, really loved her. _

"_I love you, too," she said._

_And after a declaration like that, they did the only next logical thing: they kissed. _

* * *

><p>Elena woke with a jolt, her lips tingling from a kiss better left forgotten. Sweat rolled down her face and back, dampening her blue camisole and sticking her hair to her temples. Her heart was thumping in her chest from something she didn't want to examine too closely, and her muscles were sore, like she actually just swam to shore.<p>

She swallowed thickly and looked down at the still sleeping figure beside her. She was half disappointed and half relieved her jolt out of dreamland didn't jolt him out of slumber too. As much as she wanted Stefan's comforting arms around her, she wanted the solitude of her own mind even more.

Knowing sleep was now just wishful thinking, she slowly slipped out of bed and tip toed to the door, ignoring the bags littering the floor. She closed the door behind her and breathed a sigh of relief at her silent escape.

She padded into the kitchen and flipped on the light, ready for some much needed therapy before examining the very recent events of the night. To do that, she needed energy and for energy, she needed sugar. She grabbed a coffee mug and hot chocolate packet from the cabinet. Microwaving was the cheater way of making hot chocolate but she didn't have the patience to boil water, so she filled the cup with water, stuck it in the microwave and on the way to the counter, she grabbed a spoon, milk and a tub of Ben and Jerry's.

A few minutes later, as she was stirring her hot chocolate, she allowed herself to think. She hadn't had that dream in a very, very long time. Not since she'd met Stefan. He'd filled that void inside her a long time ago and she was fervently thankful for that. So why the hell was she dreaming of he-who-shall-not-be-named (courtesy of Caroline Forbes, aka her best friend in the whole world)? It's said that dreams are a way of your mind telling you what you wanted. In that case, was her mind telling her she wanted to jump off a cliff? Quite possible with what she was going to be enduring the next week and a half.

She glowered and took a huge, heaping bite of Brownie Fudge- the kind of bite you only took when no one else was around. She washed it down with a scorching sip of hot chocolate, cursing whoever studied dreams and came up with that theory. Hadn't they ever heard of the theory of _randomness_?

She took another bite of ice cream, her mood deteriorating rapidly.

"Elena."

She jumped and whirled around, the spoon still poised in her hand. She swallowed rather painfully and wiped her mouth just in case.

Stefan was leaning against the counter in a wife beater and basketball shorts, his arms crossed over his chest, golden brown hair disheveled and a half amused, half worried look on his face.

"Hey," she said, feeling like a kid caught with their hand in the cookie jar. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same," he said. His tone was light, but his leaf green eyes were filled with worry.

"Touché," she said, putting off answering the question.

He smiled and came and sat down beside her, taking her hand in his and drawing little patterns on the back of it. He surveyed the hot chocolate and ice cream as he did so, before asking, "Is this about tomorrow?"

_No, but now that you mention it_, she thought. The thought of meeting Stefan's family after a year of them dating scared the living hell out of her and the week before his little sister's wedding no less didn't do good things to her nerves either.

He took her silence as an approval. She wasn't about to correct him- Stefan knew very little about who-he-shall-not-be-named and she'd like to keep it that way. "Don't worry," he said softly. "They'll love you. How could they not?"

She felt guilty for lying to- or in the very least deceiving- him, but she just couldn't tell him the truth. She just… couldn't. She'd tried plenty of times, but she could never bring herself to actually say the words. But damn it, he was just so sweet, it made her feel like a terrible person for not telling him the one hundred percent truth. She _was_ nervous about meeting his family though. That wasn't a lie.

"I just… do you really think it's a good idea to bring me?" she asked miserably. "I don't want to get in the way or be a distraction, what with the wedding and-"

He put a finger to her lips, silencing her. He leaned forward and said, "Rose wants to meet you so bad it's killing her. Don't be surprised if she asks you to be a bridesmaid." Then he pecked her on the forehead.

"You promise they won't hate me?" she asked in a small voice.

"I promise on the moon and the stars," he said, grinning widely. "It's impossible to hate you."

"You're so corny," she said, though a smile was threatening to lighten her bad mood.

He smiled good naturedly and dipped the spoon in the tub of ice cream, coming back with a giant spoonful. He ate half of it and held out the rest to her, which she took gratefully. "Okay," he said, licking his full lips. "Come back to bed. We have to get up early tomorrow and I know how you are at seven A.M.."

She made a face and nodded. "I'll just clean up and be right in."

He nodded, kissed her softly on the cheek and headed toward the door.

"Wait!" she called after him. When he turned around, she said, "What woke you up?"

He shook his head, laughing softly. "You're not as quiet as you think you are," he said, and then disappeared down the hall, taking all of his comfort and reassurance with him.

She stood there frowning for a moment before gathering all her therapy supplies and putting them in their respective places. After switching off the light, she stored the memory of that summer in the box labeled "Things Better Left Forgotten" in the very corner of her mind with braces and prom.

Stefan was snoring softly when she climbed back into bed. Even in his sleep, he opened his arms for her to snuggle into, just like he'd been doing for the last six months they had been living in this tiny little apartment in New York City together.

In the dark, with nothing but the sound of Stefan's breathing and her own heartbeat in her ears, she whispered, "This is where you belong, Elena."

* * *

><p><strong>What'd you think? Good? Bad? Leave me a review and let me know(:<strong>

**Oh, and in this fic, Rose is Stefan and Damon's little sister. **

**(:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you all for your kind reviews and story alerts. They make me happy (:**

* * *

><p><strong>The one you lost…<strong>

Elena liked mornings about as much as vampires liked sunlight: not very much. Even though she wasn't plagued with more dreams after falling back asleep, her late night escapade was leaving her feeling tired, drained and grumpy. The prospect of meeting Stefan's family in the next few hours hanging over her head was not much help either. Neither did the two flight delays due to bad weather in Richmond, Virginia- where they happened to be landing. She wriggled her butt around in the hard airport seat in vain hopes of finding a more comfortable position. No such luck.

She sighed.

Stefan laughed and quickly tried to cover it with a cough. She turned and glared at him, and he cleared his throat, trying not to smile. He held up his hands like she was pointing a gun at his chest. "I'm sorry," he said, not looking very sorry at all, "but you're just too..."

Her eyes narrowed and she crossed her arms over her chest. "Too what?" she asked, her tone accusing.

He didn't answer. Just continued to hold up his hands, his smile growing into a grin. She decided two could play at that game. She turned in her seat, her back facing him and put on a pouty face. If he wasn't going to answer her, she wasn't going to talk to him. Sure, it was childish, but she didn't really feel like herself right now.

"Aww, are you ignoring me?" Stefan asked, sounding amused.

She didn't answer.

"Elena," he said, in a sing-song voice. When she didn't answer, he snaked his arms around her waist, pulling her over her seat and into his lap. She let out a surprised noise and bit down on her lip to keep from smiling.

"If you keep ignoring me, I'm going to leave you all alone with my family," he warned.

She contemplated her options. Ignore him, feel victorious for a few minutes and suffer through his family all alone, or lose and have him for the next week and a half. It wasn't a hard decision. "Fine," she said, turning to face him. By the victorious smile on his face, it was obvious he knew this was going to happen. "You win."

He nodded and pecked her quickly on the lips. His face grew more serious- his usual expression. The joking was really unlike him; he was the more broody, serious type. He always told her she was the only one that brought out the more fun side of him. Imagine that. "I swear my families going to love you," he said seriously. "You don't need to worry about them."

Her stomach did a nervous little flip flop. "It's just-" It was hard for her to keep what she was feeling from him; she almost always found herself pouring out her feelings to him. "-I've never had to do this before," she explained. "The whole 'meet the family.'"

He nodded understandingly. "I know." And he did know, but she still felt the need to explain to him. "The only serious boyfriend I've ever had, I knew him my entire life. His mom used to baby sit me. It wasn't like I was just some strange girl her son started dating. I've never had to prove myself worthy of dating someone."

His face became more serious than before. "I promise, Elena," he said, "you won't have to. They will love you."

"You're just saying that to make me feel better."

He shook his head. "No, I'm not. I'm saying it because it's true. You are the most kind, smart, caring, _beautiful_ and frustrating woman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. They'll see that."

Half way through, she was blushing. She gave him the smallest of smiles and buried her face in the crook of his neck. She curled up her legs and wriggled herself around in his lap until she was in a comfortable position.. "Tell me about them," she said.

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything," she said. "What they're like, their personalities, everything."

"I guess I'll start with Rose. She's the simplest out of all three of them," he said. "She is one of the sweetest, caring people you'll ever meet. She hates it when people are fighting and that' how she became the peacekeeper in the house. Whenever we were arguing, she would swoop in and fix things, at least for a few hours. She has this way about her that makes people want to be around her."

Elena snuggled deeper into his chest and smiled. "She sounds great."

"Oh, she is," Stefan said. "She's also very, very smart and knows what she wants. That's why my dad isn't freaking out about her getting married so young."

"Nineteen is pretty young to get married," she said, frowning. "She's sure she loves this boy enough to marry him?"

Stefan chuckled. "She and Trevor have been together forever. By the time they were five, we knew they would get married someday. They just… work."

"Do _you_ like him?" she asked.

He made a noise that could have been taken as a yes or no. "As much as I can knowing what he does to my little sister when no one's around," he grumbled.

She laughed. It felt like the first genuine laugh she'd laughed in the last week. "What about your dad? What's he like?"

"He's… a good father," he said. "He has his faults, but overall, he _is_ a good father."

Elena craned her neck, looking up at him. "It sounds like you're trying to convince both of us."

He sighed and ran a hand over his eyes. "Father is… he's…"

"Complicated?" she volunteered.

"Complicated. That works." He sighed. "After my mom died when I was eight, he threw himself into his work. More so than before. There would be times when I went almost two days without seeing him."

Elena felt a familiar pang in her heart- the one she always felt when Stefan talked about his mother. Years and years later she still could see how much it hurt Stefan to talk about her. It just proved that no matter how much time passed, no matter how much you think the wound had healed, all it took was one little poke to make it hurt all over again.

"And even before she died, he wasn't the toss the football in the backyard kind of father. I think when she died, a little piece of him died too," he explained. "Now, I understand why he more or less checked out of his role as a father, but back then I didn't. As time went on, it got better, but he was never the same. He took care of us, made sure we had everything we needed and wanted, but he wasn't one hundred percent there."

"It must have been rough growing up like that," she said.

He shrugged. "Sometimes, but we turned out mostly okay."

She smiled. "Mostly? Are you not telling me something?"

He rolled his eyes, but smiled. "And that brings us to Damon."

Ah, how she would never forget the shock she had felt when he'd said his brother's name was Damon. Back then, it had been something very close to a slap in the face. Now, it was just an almost funny coincidence. "You don't talk about him that much," she commented.

"If my father is complicated, my big brother is impossible."

"Uh oh."

"Yeah. Damon is… Damon. I'm not sure how else to explain it. He's hard headed, stubborn, egotistical and very, very free spirited. He doesn't like being told what to do, which is why he and Father never got along. Damon had no interest in taking over the law firm, and Father had no tolerance for that. Damon was the eldest son; therefore, it was his responsibility to take it over."

"Did they ever get along?" Elena asked curiously.

"Yes and no," he said. "They butted heads when Mother was still alive, but it wasn't nearly like what it was after she died. They couldn't be in the same room without arguing about something after. For years and years, they did nothing but fight, and when Damon turned eighteen, he was gone."

"Gone? Just gone?"

"Yes. I had no idea where he was. He called and texted, but he never told me where he was. I think he didn't want Father to find out."

"What about now?" She couldn't imagine going so long without talking to Jeremy or Aunt Jenna.

"He lives somewhere out in Arizona I think," Stefan said. "We talk every once in awhile, but it's all very basic. As far as I know, he hasn't been home since Rose got into a car accident about two years back and broke her leg. He's always been very close with Rose, and he jumped on the first flight he could when he found out she was hurt."

"Why do you think he's so close with Rose?"

"Rose is very, very much like our mother. Damon was always so close to our mother."

"I'm sure everything will work itself out," she said because what else was she suppose to say?

"I hope so."

"_Flight 106 to Richmond, Virginia. Now boarding at Gate 7_." The loud intercom jolted Elena out of their little bubble and forced her back into reality. She was about to finally meet these people.

"Ready?" Stefan asked.

"Ready."

* * *

><p>"God Damon, if you go any faster, we're going to get a ticket."<p>

Damon Salvatore glanced at his best friend Alaric Saltzman, who was sitting in the passenger seat of Damon's blue '67 Chevrolet Camaro with a pissed off expression. They were currently driving down the highway going fifty-five miles an hour, even thought the speed limit was sixty-five. Just to be an ass, Damon dropped the speed down to fifty and Alaric shot him a dirty look.

"I think you're taking this whole not wanting to go home thing to a bit of an extreme," Alaric said.

Damon rolled his eyes and brought the speed up to seventy. "Happy?" he asked.

"Now we'll be in Mystic Falls by sun down."

"Stop with the bitching," Damon said. "If anyone has the right to bitch, it's me. I'm being forced to come home for the next two weeks."

This time, Alaric rolled his eyes. "No one is forcing you to come home. You're choosing to."

"Well what am I supposed to do?" Damon asked. "Miss my baby sister's wedding?"

"No, but I'm still missing the part where I have to come," Alaric said.

"Because it's summer, you're not teaching and you're obligated as my friend to do it," Damon explained. "_Annnd_ how could you pass up the opportunity to go back home for two whole weeks?"

The sarcasm in Damon's voice was so blatantly obvious, Alaric couldn't help but laugh. "Whoooo, Mystic Falls. Can't wait."

Oh, Damon could wait. He could really, really wait.

"Stefan coming?" Alaric asked.

"Yep," Damon said. "And he's bringing his girlfriend. Elena."

"Elena? Really?"

"Yep," Damon said. Oh, how he would never get over the irony of that. "From what I've heard, she's really something."

"I'll just bet," he said.

For the next few hours, they drove in silence. Damon was caught up in the past, thinking about beaches and a girl with dark brown hair and pretty brown doe eyes. When he realized what he was doing, he quickly turned his attention back to something else. He was not going down that road again. Instead, he directed his thoughts to the upcoming horrors. His nineteen year old sister was getting married and he was going to see his father after almost two years. Funny, how they had never seen eye to eye on anything, and the one thing Damon thought they would agree on, his father was all too happy about. Shouldn't a father be a little hesitant to let his nineteen year old daughter get married? Yes, it was Rose's decision in the end and she never did anything just to do it, and yes, they had known Trevor since he was in diapers and he was a good guy, but in the end, they were very, very young. How did they know what they would want in five years? Hell, he was twenty three and he still had no idea what he wanted.

His mood grew darker and darker as they passed through Virginia, the place where he used to call his home. He hadn't felt that way about it in many, many years. He wasn't even in Mystic Falls yet and it already felt strange. He'd left this place behind him a long time ago. Going back was just….

He'd been so wrapped up in his own thoughts, he was surprised to see the welcoming sign for Mystic Falls.

He glanced over at Alaric, who was snoring, and hit him in the shoulder. He jumped up, made an interesting sound and sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What the- oh."

"Yeah," Damon said.

_Home sweet, home_, he thought.

* * *

><p>Elena gaped at the large white house. No, not house. <em>Mansion<em>. It was definitely a mansion. Four large white pillars sat on the front porch, two on each side of the large red door. The same dark red colored the shudders framing the elegant windows, which dotted the front of the mansion, like drops of blood on a white brick wall. She looked up at the chandelier like light hanging from the awning over the pillars.

She felt like she had stepped back in time, where girls dressed in corsets and walked through garden mazes- which, apparently they had in there mile of land they called the "backyard."

"Wow," she breathed. The word was so inadequate.

"It's been in our family for centuries," Stefan explained, gazing up at his home.

"I can't believe you grew up here," she said. "It must have been amazing."

"We certainly never ran out of places to play hide and seek."

Something in his voice made her glance over at him, but before she could say anything, the door opened and a figure blurred out and attacked Stefan.

Elena smiled as she watched who she assumed was Rose squeeze Stefan and jump up and down. Stefan laughed and squeezed the girl back before pushing her back to take a look at her. "Rosie, you look so old."

Rose stuck out her tongue at him before turning to Elena. Aside from the tan, olive skin, Stefan and Rose looked nothing alike. She had long, caramel brown hair that fell in ringlets down her back and almond shaped blue eyes. She was gorgeous.

"You must be Elena," Rose said. She walked over and gave Elena a big hug, before pulling back with a large smile on her face. "It's so nice to finally meet you," Rose said. She shot Stefan, who was looking insanely amused, a dirty look. "Stefan's been hiding you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Elena said, smiling. Stefan was right: there was something about Rose. She'd barely known the girl for a minute, and she could already tell.

"Of course I've been hiding her," Stefan said. "If you haven't realized this, you're a bit much to deal with."

Rose playfully smacked his shoulder, the smile never leaving her face. "Come inside," she said. "Father and Trevor are inside."

If the outside was gorgeous, the inside was breathtaking. It was obvious the house was older, but not because it looked run down. Just the opposite. Antique painting hung from the red walls, Persian rugs led down the hall ways and statues of everything imaginable sat in corners and on glass tables. A large, crystal chandelier hung above the door, casting diamond shaped light on the hallway. And that was just what she saw at first. Off to the right, she could see a parlor room and to the left, a room that must have been a library. She could just see a peak, but that single peak held hundreds of books.

"It's…" she was at a loss for words.

"It's home," Stefan said. Again, there was something in his voice that made her glance over at him. He was looking around, but not with the awed expression she knew was on her face. His expression was… tired, like being back in his childhood home exhausted him.

"Stefan?"

Elena glanced up. A man with broad shoulders, thinning golden brown hair and an air of sophistication to him was standing in the doorway of the library room. Beside him was a younger man with shoulder length brown hair and pretty green eyes.

"Father," Stefan said, smiling. He went to the older man and hugged him briefly, before moving on to who she assumed was Trevor. They shook hands and laughed, before doing the "guy hug" as Elena referred to it as.

"You better be nice to each other," Rose warned.

Trevor rolled is eyes, though his expression was warm and loving. Elena had no doubt in her mind they were madly in love with each other. You could tell just by the way they looked at each other: like if given the choice, they would never, ever look away. "Wouldn't dream of doing anything else," Trevor said.

She watched them interact with curiosity before they all turned to her.

"Ahh, Elena," Mr. Salvatore said. She suddenly felt like a little kid. Stefan's dad was… intimidating. "I've heard so much about you."

Elena glanced at Stefan with a shy smile. "Hopefully nothing bad."

Mr. Salvatore laughed. It was a strong, confident sound. "Of course not." He gave her a warm smile, breaking the tension and a warm, fatherly hug. It was nice, and made her rethink her previous comment about him being intimidating.

"It's so nice to finally meet you, Mr. Salvatore."

"Please, call me Giuseppe," he said.

Elena smiled. "Alright."

"And this is my amazing fiancée, Trevor," Rose said. Trevor gave Elena a small and nod. She did the same. "Trevor, this is Stefan's girlfriend, Elena."

After a few more exchanged comments and polite conversation, Stefan asked, "Is Damon here yet?"

"Not yet," Giuseppe said, sighing. "He should be here soon."

Twenty minutes later, after Stefan and Elena' things had been brought into Stefan's old room, where they would be staying, they were all sitting outside at a large picnic table, chatting before dinner. Giuseppe had informed the cooks (the cooks!) to hold off for a bit longer. "Of course, Damon would be late," Giuseppe said, causing a sigh from Rose and Stefan. "But we'll wait on him anyway."

As Giuseppe explained the history of the house and the Salvatore family, Elena listened with genuine interest (she'd always been a history nerd) until she heard a door being opened and shut.

"And he finally arrives," Giuseppe announced, sounding slightly annoyed.

Elena looked up, curious to meet Stefan's older brother. She stifled a gasp. Standing not fifteen in front of her was Damon. _Her_ Damon from _that_ summer. The first boy to ever make her heart skip a beat, and the first boy to crush it into dust.

* * *

><p><strong>Ahh yes, cliffhangers. I know. Evil things. <strong>

**The Salvatore mansion in this story is the one from 1864, not the boarding house.**

**Here's a picture: **

**www (dot) google (dot) com/imgres?q=vampire+diaries+salvatore+house&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&rlz=1R2ADRA_enUS432&tbm=isch&tbnid=6_HQCTW1cCF_bM:&imgrefurl=/%3Fp%3D73&docid=piYwoO_WH7Fn4M&w=399&h=270&ei=1RGBTqzZAoG-tgei1ZidDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=350&vpy=389&dur=772&hovh=185&hovw=273&tx=169&ty=91&page=2&tbnh=127&tbnw=171&start=32&ndsp=33&ved=1t:429,r:1,s:32&biw=1600&bih=719**

**^^^^ replace (dot) with .**

**Things to ponder:**

**-Damon, Alaric and Stefan's attitude toward being home**

**-How Elena and Damon knew about one another, but not that it was the person they shared a past with.**

**-How will they act toward each other now that they know?**

**-What exactly did Damon do to hurt Elena so badly?**

**Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**You guys are just too awesome. Thank you so much for all the positive feedback. You rock! So someone asked if Damon and Elena didn't know each other's last names, and the answer is: you all will find out exactly how they did not know each other next chapter. **

**PS: Italics are a flashback. **

* * *

><p><strong>The one who really messed me up…<strong>

"_Wow," Elena said, still not fully believing she was actually here. It felt like a dream. A very, very nice, very, very _crowded_ dream._

_Aunt Jenna laughed, twirling her strawberry blonde hair into a tight bun and holding it in place with a pencil. Jenna was a psychology major at the local college back in North Carolina, and in a last minute decision, decided to come to California for the summer before starting classes again in August. Being the ridiculously cool aunt she was, she invited Elena to come along. She and Jenna had always been very close. More like sisters than aunt and niece. _

_After days and days, weeks and weeks of begging, pleading, angry door slamming, and tears, Miranda and Grayson Gilbert finally agreed Elena could go. That was how she and Jenna ended up in this bright, crowded airport, waiting for their luggage so they could finally get the summer started. _

"_Wait until you see the beach," Jenna said, smiling widely. "You'll die."_

"_I'll bet," Elena said, looking all around at the unfamiliar faces. She'd spent her entire life in her small hometown in North Carolina, and frankly, she was thrilled to get out. Don't get the wrong idea, she loved her parents and friends back home, but she needed a break from her straight A, cheerleading, boring life. Not to mention, if she had to look at her ex-boyfriend Matt's sad puppy dog eyes, she would surely rip her own eyes out. What other people might have seen as an airport, with a hundred different faces, she saw as a million different possibilities. A million different escapes. A million ways to become someone else, even if it was just for a few months. _

"_Oh, there's our luggage!" Jenna said excitedly, grabbing Elena's hand and tugging her through the crowd to the conveyer belt with bag after bag on it. Jenna reached for a red suitcase and a few other smaller bags. Elena searched for her blue suitcase, but couldn't spot it. Craning her neck, she looked further down the belt and saw it. _

"_Be right back," she said to Jenna, who was trying to stand her suitcase up straight, all to no prevail._

"_Kay," Jenna said, swearing at her difficult luggage. _

_Elena laughed- she loved her aunt to death- and walked through people, who were much like her aunt and herself, trying to gather all their luggage so they could begin their vacation. Elena narrowly missed a toddler pushing around his stroller, and after assuring his parents it was fine, and that he was just too cute, she finally reached her suitcase. _

_To this day, she had no idea why she looked a few feet to her right. She hadn't heard anything, or saw anything that caught her attention. It was just one of those moments, where she felt compelled to look. Call it chance, fate, destiny, whatever. As she grabbed her luggage, she glanced to her right. A boy no more than eighteen or nineteen with startling black hair was grabbing a simple black duffle bag off the conveyer belt. Even though she couldn't see his face, she knew he was gorgeous. Maybe it was the strong jaw line or the curve of his nose that told her this, but whatever it was, she felt her breath catch in her throat. _

_He must have felt someone watching him, because he lifted his head and glanced at her. She was right: he was gorgeous. No, not gorgeous. Beautiful. She'd never once called a guy beautiful before, but she'd never seen one who looked like him. His pale, creamy skin contrasted nicely with his raven hair and dark clothes. The only color she could spot on him was his icy blue eyes. Instead of looking strange, or out of place, they made him look exotic. She held that blue eyed gaze for what felt like a long time, before she blushed and looked down. Her will only lasted a few seconds before she found herself looking again, hoping to catch one more glance. Sure enough, he was watching her curiously. After a second of locked gazes, he smiled at her. _

_In that moment, she had no idea that this was the moment that would change her life forever. She had no idea that he was more than just a boy with the face of an angel and a smile that could melt your heart in a second. No, he was just a boy who was too beautiful to be real, and too intriguing to forget. Maybe if she had known, she wouldn't have smiled back, officially forging a bond that was as hard as steel, and just as hard to break. Maybe if she had known, she would have looked away, gathered her things and found Jenna, so they could officially begin their vacation. Or maybe she still would have smiled, because even in that one second, she was hooked. _

* * *

><p>Five years later, Elena stood surrounded by Stefan's family in Virginia, staring at that same blue eyed boy who'd captured her attention so many years ago when she was young and naive, and much too trusting. He looked the same, just older. His hair was still raven black, his eyes were still impossibly blue, and his body was still clad in dark clothing. But this time, instead of feeling curiosity as she took him in, she felt horror. Horror because she'd prayed never to see him again. Horror because even after all these years, her breath still caught in her throat and her heart still skipped at beat at his beauty. Most of all, horror because this was Damon Salvatore, Stefan's older brother.<p>

All of this happened in a mere second, too short for anyone else to notice her absolute terror and shock. Damon too, was wearing a face of pure disbelief and shock at the sight of his summer fling standing before him.

A second later, her muscles began to thaw out and she found her voice. "Excuse me," she all but gasped, darting up from the table and moving past a still shocked Damon into the house. Once the door was shut and she knew no one would see her, she began running down the hallway. She clamped her hand over her mouth as the contents of her stomach threatened to spill out on the expensive carpet, and picked up her speed. After opening at least five doors, she found a bathroom. She locked the door behind her and sank down in front of the toilet, throwing up.

After a minute of heaving, she flushed the toilet, wiped her mouth on the back of her hand, and slumped back against the wall. There was absolutely no way this was happening to her. Damon-he-who-shall-not-be-named- was not standing outside with his family, with his brother- her boyfriend! She was hallucinating, or dreaming. It was too impossible, too much of a coincidence. Things like this did not happen in real life, and it certainly didn't happen to her.

But there was no denying it. Damon was outside and this was his childhood home. This is where he grew up. She felt her stomach roll, but there was nothing left to come up.

Maybe a minute later, she heard footsteps outside the door. She prayed it wasn't Stefan. There was no way she would be able to hide her state of shock- he knew her too well- and distress. She needed a few more minutes to compose herself before she faced anyone, let alone Stefan.

A knock sounded on the door and thankfully it wasn't Stefan's voice that spoke. "Elena?" Rose asked. "Is that you in there?"

Elena took a shallow breath before answering in hopes of steadying her voice. "Yeah, it's me."

"Are you okay?" She sounded worried.

Elena pulled herself off the floor and glanced in the mirror. Her makeup was smeared slightly and her cheeks were flushed, but other than that she looked okay. Besides the shell shocked expression of course. "Yeah," she said. She moved to unlock the door. Rose was standing about a foot away, her face just as worried as her voice. "I just started feeling a little sick."

Rose looked her over for a second. Elena felt uncomfortable underneath the gaze. Happy, go lucky Rose was gone and was replaced by an intelligent, observing woman. "You aren't pregnant are you?" she asked.

Elena's eyes widened. "No!" she said. In a more calm voice she added, "No. Definitely not. I think the flying just messed me up."

Rose's scrutinizing gaze was making her want to close the door again, but of course she didn't. She held her ground in silence. After a few more awkward, tense seconds, Rose shrugged, transforming back into the girl Elena first met. "I believe you. I get sick too after flying. Anyway, dinner's about to be served. Will you be okay to eat?"

Elena nodded, smoothing her shirt. "Of course," she said, forcing a thin lipped smile. "I'll be right out."

Rose nodded and disappeared down the hallway.

Elena took a deep breath and looked at her reflection. She grabbed some toilet paper and wiped the smeared makeup from underneath her eyes, splashed cold water on her cheeks and into her mouth, and smoothed down her hair. She was presentable enough to face everyone, but Stefan would know something was wrong. She took another deep breath and reconstructed her face into an easy, light expression with a shy smile. Taking another deep breath, she existed the bathroom and made her way back outside.

Everyone had taken a seat in her absence, leaving only two chairs open: one beside Stefan and in front of Damon, and the other beside Damon. Avoiding his gaze, she sat down in the chair beside Stefan and took a sip of water from the glass in front of her.

"Are you okay?" Stefan asked, eyebrows creased.

She nodded. "The plane ride left me feeling a little sick, I guess."

Stefan nodded and then glanced at Damon. "Elena, this is my brother Damon," he said.

She forced an oblivious, polite smile onto her face and turned to him. His expression was unreadable. "I'm Elena Gilbert," she said. "It's nice to meet you."

Something flashed through his eyes, but it was gone so quickly she couldn't place it. His lips tugged up in a half smile. "Nice to meet you too, Elena."

She nodded and quickly looked away.

"So Damon, will your other half be joining us?" Giuseppe asked, his hands folded in front of him. "I'm sure he's running around Mystic Falls somewhere."

Damon smirked and took a sip of water before answering. "He should be here any minute," Damon said. "He just stopped in to say hello to his parents."

"Ah," Giuseppe said. The way they interacted with each other made Elena think back to the airport when Stefan was telling her about Damon and Giuseppe's strained relationship. It was obvious watching them, the tension in the air and the way they spoke to each other, that they didn't get along.

Rose, having must sensed the same thing she was, quickly intervened. "How was your drive, Damon?"

He shrugged. "Long… boring," he said. His eyes trailed to Elena. "Uneventful."

Rose frowned while Elena and Stefan tried not to look as uncomfortable as they felt. Luckily, they were saved from the awkward silence by a new voice. "Sorry I'm late," a man with golden brown hair and green eyes said. "I was just-" he trailed off as he saw Elena and his eyes went wide. He looked at Damon, whose lips were pressed thinly together, and then back to her. "Holy shit," he said.

* * *

><p>Before anyone could move, Damon jumped up out of his seat and walked over to Alaric, whose eyes were still trained on Elena. He put a hand on his friend's shoulder and gave him a meaningful look, though Alaric didn't notice. "Alaric," Damon said, voice thin with stress. "Good, you're here. Dinner's just about to be served."<p>

Alaric glanced at Damon in confusion. Damon gave him another look before Alaric made his way to the seat beside Damon. After they both set down, everyone said hello, but Alaric was hardly paying attention.

"Alaric," Damon said. "This is Elena Gilbert. Stefan's _girlfriend_."

Another confused and pointed look later, Alaric was composing himself and reaching out a hand to Elena. She shook it. "Nice to meet you," she said.

"You too," he said. "I'm Alaric Saltzman." As if she didn't already know. She wondered exactly who else would be popping up from back then. Alaric had more or less been Damon's wingman back then. They'd all spent plenty of days together that summer, eating out, hanging out on the beach, at parties. Apparently, Alaric was still Damon's wingman.

Oblivious to the trio's tension, light conversation was passed between everyone until food was served. Elena was happy for the excuse of eating as to why she wasn't speaking. She barely tasted the chicken as she bit into it. She was too busy freaking out on the inside, and pretending to look normal on the outside. _Just get through this dinner_, she kept telling herself. _Get through this dinner and you can figure out what to do. _

"So Stefan," Rose said, stealing a piece of chicken off of Trevor's plate. He smiled and rolled his eyes at his fiancée. "When are you going to tell us the story of how you two met?"

_Oh dear god_, she thought. She no longer had any food to use as an excuse either.

"We knew each other from NYU," he said, lazily wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "We didn't have any classes together because of our differing majors, but I'd seen her around campus once or twice." He looked at her warmly and she tried to return the smile, but was finding it difficult with Damon's gaze on her face. "She was always carrying a notebook around with her," he added.

"What are you majoring in, Elena?" Giuseppe asked.

"Journalism" she replied.

There was a sudden shift in the air, as if she had said something inappropriate at the table. There was a sudden tension emanating from everyone but Giuseppe, who looked almost amused. She remained silent, wondering exactly what was going on. After another tense few seconds, Giuseppe spoke. "Journalism. Really now. You don't find that field of work a bit- how should I say this- insignificant?"

There was a moment of stunned silence. "Father," Rose snapped, looking appalled. Elena heard Stefan sigh from behind her. Trevor and Alaric were studying something off in the distance and Damon was watching her reaction carefully.

She took a small breath before saying, "No, I don't actually. Without journalism how would anyone know what was going on?" She glanced at Stefan. "How would we know when there was a break through in medicine?" She then glanced at Giuseppe with even, steady eyes. "How would we know when a lawyer put a criminal behind bars?"

Everyone was watching her now, impressed. It made her think not too many people stood up to Giuseppe Salvatore. She wasn't done though. "Journalism is more than just articles about the latest trend in fashion, or gossip about the hottest new celebrity. It's news. It's what makes people decide what hospital to go to when they find out their child has cancer, or what law firm has the best chance of winning a custody battle. It _matters_."

As she finished her little speech, there was silence. She wondered if she had overdone it. But damn it, Giuseppe's comment had fueled what her aunt Jenna called the "Gilbert fire" and she couldn't help but put the man in his place. _Oh great_, she thought. _Stefan's father hates me now. _

Much to her surprise, Giuseppe smiled and just like that, the tension in the air evaporated. "You're passionate," he said. "That will get you far in life." She couldn't be positive, but she had a feeling she had just one his respect.

"Thank you," she said. "I got it from my mother."

"She must be a very proud woman."

Stefan shifted uncomfortably in his seat, but Elena just smiled sadly. "She would be. She and my father died in a car accident a few years ago."

From the corner of her eye, she saw Damon's head snap up. He obviously hadn't known her parents were now dead. How would he? They had died a year after he made an appearance in her life. Before the tension made a reappearance, Elena said, "And actually, Stefan and I really didn't meet at school. Not officially at least."

"Really?" Rose asked. "Do tell."

"Well, a mutual friend of ours named Caroline drug me to a party to meet a guy," Elena explained.

"Which so happened to be me," Stefan said. "But Elena wouldn't have anything to do with me."

"I had a huge paper to write and I wasn't in the partying mood, but Caroline wouldn't take no for an answer." Elena shook her head slightly thinking of her best friend. "After twenty minutes of serious moping, she finally let me leave. But on the way home, I got a flat tire."

"Let me guess," Rose said smiling. "Stefan found you, changed your tire and it was love from then on out."

Stefan snorted. "Hardly. You're right- I did pull over, but she was insulted that I thought she didn't know how to change a tire."

Elena laughed despite the horrible situation she was in. "What can I say? I'm independent. But Stefan stayed to make sure I fixed it anyway despite my horrible attitude toward him, and after that… I don't know. We saw each other around school. We eventually started talking. Everything just kind of fell into place."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Rose said.

"Ah, my little brother, the hero as always," Damon said. Even though he was smiling, and his tone was light, Elena didn't believe it was genuine. Everyone else seemed to think so though, so she overlooked it.

"You know what?" Rose asked. "Stefan, after dinner, you should take Elena to see the horses."

Stefan looked down at Elena. "Would you like to?"

"Sure," she said. "That sounds nice."

Thirty minutes later, Elena was standing by the door, waiting for Stefan to come downstairs so they could go to the barn. She took her moment alone to have a mini panic attack. Somewhere in this house, Damon was wandering around with Alaric. Damon, whom had emotionally messed her up so badly, she honestly never thought she would trust another man. But no, she wound up trusting his little brother.

Footsteps drew her back into reality, and she saw Stefan and Damon walking down the stairs together. "I'm sorry, Elena," Stefan said. "Father wants to speak with me for a few minutes. Do you mind if Damon takes you down to the barn? I'll be there as soon as I can."

She had to bite her tongue to keep from saying no. Stefan obviously had not the slightest clue that she knew Damon long before just today, and she wasn't ready to let him know quite yet- or ever. So instead of yelling no like she would like, she said, "Of course not. That's fine."

* * *

><p><strong>Uh oh. Elena and Damon alone together? Who knows what will happen.<strong>

**Review! **


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so unbelievably sorry! The wait was completely unacceptable. Forgive me? **

**Alright, so I have to say that writer's block was kicking my ass but after Thursday night's episode, inspiration came back full force. That kiss? Damn. Just damn. **

* * *

><p><strong>Now what's left are the memories…<strong>

_It was the day after Elena and Jenna had arrived in California. The sun was high in the clear blue sky, the air warm- the perfect beach weather. After lathering their skin in sun tan oil, they gathered their beach basics: towels, sunglasses, water, magazines, IPods and snacks and threw it all in a beach bag and began their walk to the beach. The house they were renting for the summer was the third row of houses from the beach, so it took a matter of minutes to walk. _

_She was positively mesmerized by everything. The sun, the people- it all felt so different from home. It felt so nice to pass people on the sidewalk and know they had no idea who you were. It was so nice not having to worry about running into Matt at every corner, or doing one wrong thing and having the whole town gossip about you. She felt like she was a completely different person. She felt free._

"_How do you come back home after spending the summer here?" Elena asked, the admiration and wonder evident in her voice. _

_Jenna laughed. "I know, I know. This place is like a whole other world compared to home."_

"_Tell me about it," Elena responded, narrowly missing a guy with long hair on a skateboard. After regaining her balance, she ran a hand through her hair and looked up at the sun. "I could stay here forever."_

"_But then it wouldn't be so amazing," Jenna said, playfully bumping her shoulder. "All good things come to an end."_

_Elena frowned. "I guess."_

_By the time her bare feet touched the hot white sand of the beach, she was sweating bullets. They chose a nice spot a couple of feet from the dunes to drop their stuff and set up the umbrella. After helping Jenna get settled, she abandoned the t-shirt she was wearing, leaving her clad in only a bright red bikini, and made her way to the water._

_Once at the edge of the water, she tentively dipped her toe in. She broke out in a smile. The water was perfect tempertature- not too hot, not too cold. Like everything else here, it seemed just right. _

_Laughing like a little kid, she began running through the shallow water, eager to dive under the surface, eager to feel the waves break on top of her. When she was waist deep, she went under. She glided through the water until her lungs began to burn with the need for oxygen. Only then did she come up, pushing her hair away from her eyes as she broke the surface._

_She was far enough out that if her parents had been here, they would have been knee deep in water, waving their arms around and yelling at her. But her parents weren't here. Being with Jenna was more like being with a sister than a guardian. _

_After another thirty minutes or so, she decided to get out of the water and go exploring. She swam back to the shore and squeezed the water out of her hair as she walked back to where Jenna was. Her aunt was not so slyly pretending to read a magazine and actually checking out a cute brunette. _

"_You should go talk to him," Elena said, grabbing a towel._

"_What?" Jenna asked, startled._

"_Oh come on," Elena said, grinning. "He's cute."_

_Jenna laughed, but shook her head. "No way. He's like 18."_

_Elena rolled her eyes. All her aunt needed was a little push and she'd be good to go. "Who cares? You're 24. That's hardly illegal."_

_Jenna bit her lip, clearly trying to make up her mind. She quickly shook her head and looked back down at her magazine. "No, no," she said. "I'm going to keep my butt right her, get a tan and read this." _

"_Suit yourself," Elena said, shrugging. "I think I'm going to go do a little exploring."_

"_If you walk to the pier there's a little shack," she said. "A lot of kids your age hang out there."_

"_Okay," Elena said. She pulled her t-shirt over her head and slipped her feet into her flipflops. "I'll meet you back here in a few hours?"_

_Jenna waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Go, have fun," she said. "You know where we're staying."_

_It took about ten minutes to walk to the pier and another few to get to the shack. It was a small little thing, with a few stools lining the counter and a few picnic tables surrounding it. The sign said it sold varities of food and drinks, along with sunglasses, necklaces amd wax for surf boards. _

_Jenna had been right. Most of the people who were there were her age- some a little older, some a little younger. She knew immediately she'd be spending plenty of her days here. Something about it felt so comforting and welcoming. _

_She decided she would order a drink or something and then sit down at one of the tables instead of simply standing their and staring, so she walked to the guy behind the counter- a cute blonde with a sunburn and puka shell necklace. He gave her a once over and then a smike as she approached. _

"_Well, hey there," he said. _

_She smiled and sat down at one of the stools. "Hey," she said. _

"_What can I get for you?" _

_She tilted her head to the side and twirled a piece of her hair around her finger. She knew she was being positively ridiculous but she hadn't flirted with someone in so long she wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. He was cute and she was single and there wasn't one single reason why she couldn't flirt with him. _

"_A Coke," she said. _

"_Sure thing." He walked to a cooler and opened it up, pulling out a bottle of Coke dripping with water. He walked back and handed it to her. "Here ya go," he said. _

"_Thanks." She took the bottle and said, "How much do I owe you?"_

_He smiled and shook his head. "For you, it's free."_

_She blushed and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "Well that's not fair to all the other paying customers," she said, only slightly serious. _

_His face grew serious and he cocked his head to the side. "How about this? Come back tomorrow and the next day and the nexy day and buy something"_

"_Well," she said, pretending to think about it. "That does seem fair."_

"_Then I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked._

_She nodded. She opened the botttle and slipped off the stool, feeling warm and happy and perfectly content. She didn't see the ball coming as she titled her head back, the opened bottle top touching her lips. One minute, there was nothing in the air and the next, it was hitting her in the face. The force of the ball smacked the Coke right out of her hand, but not before getting a generous amount all over her face, shirt and hair. _

_She stood there, compeltely shocked. _

"_I'm so sorry!" she head a voice say, though she was suddenly too annoyed to really care. She was surveying her soaked t-shirt. The whole front was soaked, so she slipped it off and used it to wipe off her face. _

_Out of the corner of her eye she saw someone approach her. "The ball kinda got out of control," the guy said. "I'm really sorry about that."_

"_Yeah, well you should-" She looked up, prepared to give this ass a piece of her mind, but she didn't get the words out. Standing in front of her was the guy from the airport. His eyes were even bluer up close and his hair was even darker. Her breath caught in her throat._

_For a second, he looked just as mesmorized as she felt, but the next second he was smirking and holding out his hand. "I'm Damon," he said. "Damon Russo."_

_She took his hand, feeling little electric sparks ignite between their hands. She looked at this gorgeous boy, who was looking at her with curiousity and she wanted to be someone he was curious about. She didn't want to be small town Elena Giblert. She wanted to be mysterious and fun and- "I'm Elena," she said. "Elena Sommers."_

* * *

><p>The air was thick with tension as Elena and Damon made their way to the barn- him leading a foot or so ahead and her following reluctantly. When Stefan had still been watching, a smile had been on her face and she was side by side with Damon- just the clueless girlfriend and brother. Now that Stefan was behind a closed door, Elena was happily lagging behind. Facing Damon was inevitable of course, but she was perfectly content with putting it off for a few more minutes. And anyway, she'd be damned if she was the first to speak.<p>

The barn seemed to be miles and miles away from the Mansion, but in reality was only about half a mile. The Salvatore's had more acres of land that her childhood neighborhood had. It was ridiculous really. What did they even need that much land for? A carnival? Another mansion? Maybe her opinion was just jaded because of the situation she was in.

After a good six or seven minutes of walking, she felt the air change. It wasn't a palpable change- the temperature did not rise or fall, the wind did not pick up or slow down and the sun did not brighten or dim, but the change was not ignorable. It felt as if the tension doubled and she just knew he was about to speak.

Sure enough, seconds later, he stopped and turned to face her, his face pleasantly blank. She wanted to smack that relaxed expression right off his face. How dare he. Who in the hell did he think he- "Should I say it, or should you?" Damon asked simply, as if he was commenting on the weather.

"Say what?" she asked, hoping her voice was just as empty and falsely pleasant as his.

She was happy to see his eyes narrow just the slightest at her indifference. Good. "Well, Elena," he said slowly like she was a insubordinate child. "We weren't exactly strangers before Stefan introduced us at dinner."

"I'm aware," she said in the same faux-placid tone. "Very aware, actually."

His perfectly pleasant façade was wearing down thin. She could almost see the irritation on his face. Of course, the moment it cracked, Damon sealed it back up again. He crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "And you don't think we should talk about it?" he asked.

"What's there to talk about?" she countered.

"Um, I don't know?" he said. "The fact that we dated?"

Ice seemed to make its way through her veins, chilling her from the inside out. "I would hardly call that dating," she disagreed.

"Then what would you call it?" he pressed.

She thought about that for a second. If someone had asked her then, she would have said dating, but now- with the knowledge of what a real relationship was like- she would call it nothing more than a-

"A summer fling," she said.

"And tell me," he said, his voice different now: more calculating, more… wicked. "What would Stefan think of our 'summer fling?' I'm assuming he doesn't know."

She knew this game. He was trying to get under her skin, make her worry that he was going to tell Stefan about them. He wouldn't though. After all, how would that benefit him? It wouldn't. Clearly nothing had changed over the years. Damon was still the spoiled trust fund kid who got what he wanted and when he didn't, he threw a tantrum.

But she had changed. She wasn't the same love struck sixteen year old girl looking for an escape anymore. She knew what real love was like and she wasn't about to compromise that over _Damon Salvatore. _

"How would he?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "You lied to me that summer. I had no clue you two were related."

This time, when the anger flashed through his eyes, he didn't try to hide it. "I wasn't the only one lying that summer," he said.

"Maybe not," she shot back. "But I'm not going to compromise my relationship with Stefan over something that meant nothing more to me than a good time."

Ice chased away the heat in his eyes. "Well," he said, taking a step back in the direction of the barn. "I guess we do agree one thing: we meant nothing to each other."

She ignored the painful twist in her chest. "Good," she said. "Then I guess Stefan doesn't need to know, does he?"

"I suppose not."

She forced her lips to curve up into a smile. "Well, then," she said, "now that we know where the other stands, there's no reason for this to be awkward or uncomfortable."

Damon smirked. "We should get to the barn before Stefan shows up and wonders just what we've been doing out here."

She saw the challenge in his eyes and she knew he wasn't going to make this easy for her.

* * *

><p><strong>I know, I know. The whole lying about their last name thing is slightly corny, but bear with me. <strong>

**Review? **


	5. Chapter 5

**Terribly sorry for the wait! I've been working on something of my own, which has had my full attention. I made a trailer for this fic and you can find the link at the end (:**

**Thanks for all of the lovely reviews! You guys are way too awesome. **

* * *

><p><strong>I couldn't get enough...<strong>

"_Okay, favorite movie," Damon said, pointing at her with a french fry. "And if you say The Notebook, I'm leaving."_

_Elena rolled her eyes and took a bite of her burger. She had come back the next day to grab a bite to eat (okay and maybe see if she saw Damon again since they hadn't exchanged information) and he had been there with a group of people. He'd promptly ditched them when he saw her. They'd grabbed burgers and fries and sat at one of the picnic tables, where they were currently playing 20 questions._

"_Hey, don't hate on The Notebook," she said. "It's not my favorite, but it is a great movie."_

"_So what is your favorite, Elena?" It was maddening the way he said her name. He made it sound exotic and sophisticated and sexy. Honestly, she was sure Damon could make the most disgusting of words sound sexy._

_She thought about that for a few minutes, wanting to be sure in her decision. She'd seen hundreds of movies, but she tried to think of which one really stood out to her. She certainly wasn't going to just blab out a random movie and embarrass herself in front of Damon. After another bite of her burger and sip of coke, she answered, "Knowing."_

"_Never heard of it," Damon said immediately._

_She blanched at him. "You've never seen Knowing?"_

_He she shook his head, his raven hair falling in his face. "Nope."_

"_What is wrong with you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow._

_The smirk he gave her was positively devious. It promised of wicked, dangerous things and she found herself melting despite the warnings in her head. In the short amount of time she'd known Damon, she'd come to realize he was used to getting what he wanted. She couldn't really blame him either. With a face like that, how could he not get everything he'd ever wanted?_

"_Many things," he said with a wink._

"_Okay," she said, blushing. She looked down at her food and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before looking back into his piercing blue eyes. "You're turn."_

"_Music," he said simply. "What's your favorite band?"_

_She didn't need to think about this one. "Easy," she said. "Incubus."_

_His eyes narrowed. "No they aren't."_

"_Are too!" she said, laughing. God, she hadn't laughed like this in so long. It felt so good, she found herself laughing again just to hear the sweet, musical sound. _

"_I refuse to believe that a beautiful girl like yourself listens to music that is reserved for men in their late twenties," he said. _

_She rolled her eyes. "Wow, sexist much?" she asked, throwing a ketchup covered french fry at him. _

_He dodged it easily. It fell onto the sand and a bird promptly swooped down and picked it from the ground, flying away with it in their mouth. "No, I'm just surprised," he admitted. "You seemed the Backstreet Boys type."_

_She blushed, thinking back half a decade earlier when she would listen to them in her bedroom, not so secretly swooning over Nick Carter. But that was a long item ago. Her music taste had changed drastically, for the better. She didn't need to fill Damon in on her musical revelations though. Some things should be kept in the confines of your childhood pink bedroom walls. _

"_Don't get me wrong," he said quickly, as if realizing he may have insulted her. "It's sexy that you listen to them."_

_She blushed for at least the tenth time in the last thirty minutes. She hoped he would think her cheeks were flushed because of the heat. By the smirk on his face, she assumed he didn't. Wanting to get the attention off of her and quickly, she said, "So you graduated a few weeks ago."_

_He cocked his head to the side, his lips pulling up at the edges. "That's not a question."_

"_I'm getting there," she said, rolling her eyes at his impatience. It was slightly annoying, but he was just too damn sexy to be annoyed at for more than a few short minutes. "You know, patience is a virtue."_

"_One that I don't possess," he said, waving his hand in the air. "Now, on with the question. The suspense is truly killing me."_

"_Smart ass," she mumbled under her breath. He raised an eyebrow, having heard her. Deflecting, she said, "Are you here with your family?"_

_She knew she didn't imagine the way his eyes darkened, his lips pulling down at the corner. But the next second, his eyes were light and carefully guarded, his lips pulled up in what she was learning to be his signature smirk. "Nope, just me and a buddy."_

_She raised an eyebrow. "What's your family like?" _

"_Hey, it's my turn," he said, pushing his lips into a pout. _

_She rolled her eyes, stored her question in her memory and said, "Shoot."_

"_What brought you to the Gold State?" he asked, raising his arms and gesturing around them. The nickname fit in everyday possible. Not a cloud in the sky, the sun's ray seemed to light everything up, dousing their world in gold. _

"_Well, my aunt comes here almost every summer and I decided to go with her this time," she said simply, not wanting to get into the personal affairs of her life back home. _

"_I'm sensing there's a little more to that explanation," he said, having read her as if she was an open book. Was she that obvious or was he that good?_

"_Well," she said, biting on the inside of her cheek. It was a nervous gestured she thought she'd ditched back in middle school. Clearly no. "I guess I just needed an escape from my world."_

"_With a face like yours, how do you have any trouble?" he asked. His words were teasing, but his eyes were serious._

_She decided to answer instead of pointing out that it was technically her turn to ask the question. "I'm from a small town," she said, figuring that was the best way to start it. "The kind of town where you can't make any personal decisions without everyone knowing. I guess recently I've been changing and everyone just isn't ready for that change."_

_Damon nodded like he understood exactly how she felt. "Home isn't that great for me either," he said. "Same story basically. Small town. No privacy. Father wanting to control your every move."_

"_I forgot that one," she pointed out. "My parents want me to be a doctor. What about yours?"_

"_Father wants me to be a lawyer," Damon said, rolling his blue eyes. _

"_What about your mom?"_

_He looked down at his food, suddenly very intrigued with a french fry. "She died a few years ago."_

_She was glad Damon was still looking at his food because she was staring at him with her mouth hanging up. Oh god, she was an awful person. What was she supposed to say? Sorry? That was about as cliché as it came. "What was she like?" Elena asked finally. _

_His lips lifted up at the corners. "Beautiful, caring, frustrating, bossy, a know it all. She froze us all crazy."_

"_She sounds amazing," Elena said, smiling. Just by that description, Elena was sure Damon favored his mother. _

"_She was," he said. "Now, enough with all this doom and gloom. What's your favorite song?"_

* * *

><p>Much to Elena's annoyance and relief, Damon didn't attempt to speak to her the remaining walk to the barn. The only sound was the wind rustling the leaves and toward the end of their journey, the neighing of horses.<p>

She found herself growing excited for the first time since she'd learned the truth about Stefan's "difficult older brother." She'd always loved horses growing up, though she was too terrified of the huge creatures to take up riding lessons. The last time she'd actually sat on a horse was a birthday party when she was eleven, but she could still appreciate the animals with both her feet on the ground.

After another few minutes, their destination was in view. The barn was large, much larger then any barn she'd ever seen and made of white wood with darker wood framing the doors and windows. Beyond the barn was an obstacle course of white picket fences, which is where she assumed they were ridden. There was also a large, open field beyond the fence.

It was beautiful.

Damon must have noticed her awed expression. "My mother loved horses," he said, surprisingly with no sarcasm or malice in his voice. "Father built it for her as soon as he could afford to."

"It's lovely," she said honestly. Her voice was civil, if not pleasant. As much as she wanted to throttle the man beside her, the only way to make this work was if they were mature about the entire situation. That meant she'd keep her snarky comments to herself as long as he did the same.

"She liked it," he said. "She wanted a horse growing up but she came from a poor family in Italy so she couldn't have one. She loved them so much she forced Stefan and I to take lessons."

Elena couldn't help the snort that followed his confession. "You? On a horse? Yeah, right."

He shot her an irritated look. "I am good at other things besides seducing woman."

So much for keeping things civil.

"Good to know," she replied snappily. "We should probably move a little faster if we plan on beating Stefan here."

"Fine with me," he said, picking up the pace.

She was out of breath by the time they finally reached the barn, though no one would be able to tell just by looking at her. She knew her cheeks were flushed, but besides that she looked perfectly fine. And people told her cheer leading and track were a waste of time.

"How many horses are here?" Elena asked, working hard to keep the annoyance out of her voice. She could be civil. She would be civil, even if it meant biting her tongue until it fell right out of her mouth. She was a mature, sophisticated adult. Not a teenager who took her problems out on the world with one huffed breath and stomped foot at a time.

"Three," he answered, his tone much less snappy than she had expected it to be.

"Does your father come here and take care of them everyday?" she asked.

He opened the door, stepping back to allow her to walk through. Despite the above average outside, the inside looked exactly what she imagined any barn to look like: a barn. It was large, that was for certain, but it was filled with horse equipment, some of which she knew the name of and some of which she didn't, just like any other barn would be. She could see toward the back where the horses were kept.

Damon snorted, an unattractive sound even for him. "Hardly," he said, bitterness lacing his tone. "I'm sure he hasn't been down here in years."

"Why?" As soon as the word left her lips, she blushed. This had been his mother's gift and she'd died. Of course Giuseppe wouldn't want to be here. "Oh, right," she added lamely.

Thankfully he didn't call her out on it. "He has hired workers who come everyday to take care of them."

She was saved from having to reply because they had approached the horses and Damon was talking again.

"This one is Stefan's," he said, pointing to a pretty golden brown horse with a white underbelly. It was tall and muscular, seeming to fit Stefan's taste precisely. "His name is Chance."

Elena smiled and rubbed the horse on the top of his head gently, loving the feel of his furry skin underneath hers.

"This one is technically my father's," Damon said, gesturing to a horse much larger than Stefan's. It was at least a foot taller and more muscled. It was as black as night. "His name is Midnight, shocker."

Midnight wasn't paying an ounce of attention to them, so she didn't attempt to rub him. Instead, she followed Damon to the last section.

"And this little girl right here is my horse. Her name is Lucy," Damon said. He made a noise she couldn't describe in words and stepped up on the door. The horse that greeted him was much smaller than the previous two, both in height and muscle. She was by far the prettiest too. Her skin was a splash of gray, black and white with a white mane and dark eyes. Damon petted her, gently pulling her ears and rubbing her back,

"Lucy?" Elena asked, unable to keep herself from smiling.

"I was like nine, leave me alone," Damon said, his lips pulling up at the corners when Lucy snorted, throwing back her head.

Elena stepped forward tentatively, not wanting to frighten her while she was so engrossed in Damon's attention.

"Don't worry, she won't bite," Damon said.

Elena nodded and placed her hand on the horse's head, only jumping slightly when she threw her head back. Elena giggled and began rubbing her hands through Lucy's mane, the hair tangle free and soft.

"We rescued her awhile back from this man in Kentucky," Damon explained. "She wasn't being properly cared for and that's why she's so small. My mother nearly choked her owner when she saw how uncared for she was."

"So you guys brought her here and nursed her back to health?"

Instead of Damon replying, a new voice answered. "He wouldn't leave the barn for days. We had to bring him food and water. He even slept here the first few nights."

They both turned to see Stefan leaning against the wall, having snuck up on them. He was smiling, though it didn't seem to reach his eyes. She made a mental note to ask him what was up later.

"I love this horse," Damon said simply.

"I'm surprised she still knows who you are," Stefan said. "It's been a long time."

An awkward silence filled the air. Elena tried to make herself as small as possible as she petted Lucy. This was clearly family issues and she didn't want to get in the middle of it.

"So what did our dear old Dad have to say?" Damon asked, his tone falsely pleasant. "Already complaining about immature, disobedient Damon?"

Stefan's face hardened. "We were just talking, Damon." His voice was harder than Elena had ever heard it. "It wouldn't kill you to talk to him, you know."

"Father and I made our separate beds a long time ago, Stef," Damon said, already moving toward the door. "I think we both know Father and I are content laying in them."

"Damon," Stefan began.

"Save it," Damon said, clapping Stefan on the shoulder as he passed. "I think I'm going to head out, revisit old times. I'm sure you and Elena will understand."

Stefan sighed. "Fine," he said. "Just be careful."

"Always am," Damon said. Before he walked out of the door, he turned around and added, "Elena, it really was lovely meeting you."

* * *

><p><strong>Here's the link. Replace the (dot) with an actual period.<strong>

**http:/www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=S5lCebgyYOw&feature=youtu(dot)be**

**Review! (:**


	6. Announcement

**Did you guys think I was dead? I'm not, so yay!**

**Alright so as you've all noticed, I've been completely MIA for the last several months and I am BEYOND sorry. I know, I know. I suck massively. **

**I could give you a million excuses as to why I haven't updated in forever but it all really comes down to one thing: I've kind of lost inspiration for all things Vampire Diaries. Season 3 was a huge disappointment for me and it made me lose inspiration for all of my stories. I can't tell you how many times I've sat down and tried to write the next chapters, but I either couldn't write anything at all or what I did write sounded forced. I don't want to put out a 1000 word chapter that sounds sloppy and forced, which is why I haven't updated at all. **

**I'm on summer break now so I've been thinking that I might go back and rewatch some old episodes, hopefully getting inspired again.**

**I really don't want to give up completely, especially on Dirty Little Secrets and All Again For You. I'm so far into Dirty Little Secrets and I had huge plans for All Again For You. **

**So with that being said, I'm going to do my best to finish Dirty Little Secrets up and then dive into All Again For You. **

**I'm so, so sorry for the long wait and if anyone has given up on me, I totally understand. For those of you who haven't, you have no idea how thankful I am. **

**I hope you'll be hearing from me soon. **

**-Sarah**

**PS: Did anyone else have a complete mental breakdown when Elena chose Stefan over Damon _again_? I did. Let's just say I'm not proud my mom heard me talk like that. **


End file.
